I have a certain admiration for angry people. As a citizen and scholar of the United States, I’ve read about the provocative suffragettes; the can’t-be-tamed flag-wavers; the defiant revolutionaries. I’ve imagined myself joining their fights. But when I think about the issues threaded through present-day America, I feel numb and/or scared more often than roused. […]
“I like to celebrate [the 26th] every month, because I like to celebrate things,” Bailey “26” Cogan said from under a red cowboy hat at Icehouse last night. Yet this fifth-from-last day of Dec. 2018 was no ordinary 26th. Last night, 26 BATS! performed the final show of the Kremblems’ collective residency and dropped their […]
Last time I saw Kamasi Washington, he impressed me so thoroughly that I couldn’t decide whether or not to pick up tickets for his show at the Palace last night. If you look at it one way, Washington’s set at Rock the Garden was a superlative moment – a once-in-a-lifetime, bright-sunshiney storm of drums, horns, […]
For every bit of buzz Mitski has earned this year, she’s no new artist. Her 2018 release Be the Cowboy is her fifth album, following up her 2016 breakout Puberty 2. That said, it’s no small feat for any artist to sell out a whole tour, and that’s exactly what Mitski has done on her current […]
I’m not entirely sure where the confetti came from, but it was well-deserved. In the second of two sold-out sets at the 7th St Entry, beloved rock band the Hold Steady — along with their enthusiastic, beer-loving fans — shouted, strutted, and sweated through a powerhouse 85-minute set. (The previous day, the band played the […]
P.O.S and Astronautalis have released a handful of singles as Four Fists, but if you’re still unfamiliar with their music, I’d actually steer you toward “Fjortis.” It’s not a “spotlight track,” sitting two-thirds through their album 6666. It’s calmer than any of its neighbors. But it links personal narrative, pyro-punk, and a glinty beat in […]
A woman dressed in black and white stares into the middle distance, trying not to blink. Her eyes are wet. She holds an acoustic guitar to her chest, planted on a stage that’s big but not bare. She’s caught in a moment, hesitant to leave when she’s got so much pride and gratitude inside her. […]
The Current’s Music on a Stick concert at the State Fair this year had a stacked lineup for those who are into bluegrass and romantic indie rock. Lissie opened the night, followed by Lord Huron and local favorites Trampled By Turtles. As the golden hour washed over those of us corralled in the Grandstand, Lissie took […]
I wasn’t prepared. I mean, I brought my earplugs, comfy shoes, and ID to the Varsity Theater last night. But by no means was I mentally prepared to take in the funk onslaught that George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic fired off for two hours straight. The building shook with bass; the costumes screamed just as loud. […]
Over the past decade, she’s played to half-full rooms and slogged her way through opening sets in front of distracted crowds. She’s dreamed up ambitious, larger-than-life stage presentations and crammed them into the wings of tiny clubs. After years of paying her dues — and taking a hiatus from performing music to become a full-fledged […]
